The single most important decision before county voters this November is Measure A.

Measure A is critical to every resident who needs emergency trauma treatment in the aftermath of a serious accident, fire or natural disaster in Santa Clara County.

If approved, Measure A will provide the necessary funding to replace seismically noncompliant hospital buildings at Valley Medical Center Hospital with modern facilities that will remain standing after the next major earthquake — which we all know is coming.

Valley Medical Center is a Level One Trauma Center, the highest-level hospital facility and the only public hospital in Santa Clara County. As a Level One Trauma Center, Valley Medical Center is able to provide the highest level of trauma care and is equipped, staffed and prepared to respond to life-threatening injuries and catastrophic illnesses, from car accidents and fires to natural disasters and other major emergencies.

Older Valley Medical Center buildings constructed in the early 1960s and 1970s do not fully comply with the state’s mandatory seismic safety standards and must be replaced. Despite requiring hospital facilities to implement seismic improvements by 2013, the state of California has provided no funding for construction costs.

If these buildings are not replaced, Valley Medical Center will be forced to eliminate over 270 hospital beds — more than half of the total beds at the hospital — and close the Level One Trauma Center, Burn Trauma Center and Pediatric Trauma Center because there would be too few beds for patients once they are out of the emergency room. That could put lifesaving care farther way, costing hours or minutes you or your loved ones can’t afford to lose in an emergency.

No matter where you go for your regular health care or which hospital is closest to your home, if you are the victim of a serious accident or emergency in the city of Santa Clara or anywhere else in our county, chances are you will be taken to Valley Medical Center. Measure A will ensure those services are available for you and your family when you need them most.

Recent emergencies and natural disasters have shown us that Santa Clara County residents will not be able to count on the state or federal governments for immediate medical assistance. Valley Medical Center is our lifeline in a disaster, and unless we pass Measure A to provide the funding for seismic upgrades, many hospital facilities — including essential emergency and trauma care facilities unavailable elsewhere — will be forced to shut down in the next five years.

Measure A is not a blank check. Voters will also be approving strict accountability provisions, including required independent audits, oversight by a citizens committee and full and complete public disclosure of all spending from the measure. And by law, no money can be spent on administrators’ salaries.

Measure A is vital for all of us — that’s why it is the only local issue supported by both the Republican and Democratic parties. Measure A is also endorsed by the Leagues of Women Voters of Santa Clara County, Council of Professional Firefighters of Santa Clara County, Santa Clara City Firefighters, Peace Officers Research Association of California, Santa Clara County Medical Association, Registered Nurses Professional Association, Association of Realtors, Silicon Valley Leadership Group, the South Bay Labor Council and Kaiser Santa Clara.

Please vote yes on Measure A — it is crucial to you, your family or someone you care about. For more information, visit www.vmcmatters.com.

Ken Yeager is a member of the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors.

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